Paver calculator
The patio project covers 12 by 10 ft, or 120 sq ft, so it calls for 567 pavers sized 4 by 8 in after a 5 percent waste factor; it also needs a 4 in gravel base of roughly 1.5 cu yd, with bedding sand totaling 20 bags and joint sand 2 bags. Draw the patio outline on the page and the calculator counts curved ends and cut-outs like a fire pit as part of that job.
Pavers
Select a yellow number to type a new size, or drag shapes to move them.
Shapes
Cut out shapes are subtracted from the total, for spaces like a hot tub or tree.
The patio outline is drawn from shapes; the pattern sets the waste allowance.
You can leave the price box blank or type in the store's figure; an empty box hides the cost.
The count starts with the patio area divided by the area of one paver, then adds a waste allowance and rounds up. Running bond shifts each course by half a paver, as brick courses do; it defaults to 5 percent waste, the same as stack bond. Herringbone gets 10 percent and a diagonal layout gets 15. Three layers sit below the paving surface in this calculator: a compacted gravel base at 4 in for a patio and 6 to 8 in for a driveway, per Unilock's paver base guide; 1 in of coarse bedding sand under the pavers, or 30 mm for UK blocks and 40 mm for slabs; and joint sand, with coverage that changes by joint width. Base and bedding quantities are measured in 0.5 cu ft bags. A cubic yard of gravel works out to about 2,835 lb; sand weighs about 2,700 lb per cubic yard. Density figures are site averages from Aug 2026. The drawing accepts rectangles, triangles, circles and half circles, with a cut-out shape subtracted for a tree ring, planter or fire pit. The tool offers 4 x 8, 6 x 6, 6 x 9, 12 x 12, 16 x 16, 12 x 24 and 24 x 24 in pavers, plus metric sizes, and the per-paver and per-layer entries add to one shopping list.
The toggle divides its units between two sides. One side lists feet, inches and US paver sizes; the other lists metres and millimetres, UK block and slab sizes, plus metric laying-course depths for base and bedding.
| Paver | Per sq ft | Per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 4 x 8 in | 4.5 | 473 |
| 6 x 6 in | 4 | 420 |
| 6 x 9 in | 2.67 | 280 |
| 12 x 12 in | 1 | 105 |
| 16 x 16 in | 0.56 | 60 |
| 12 x 24 in | 0.5 | 53 |
| 24 x 24 in | 0.25 | 27 |
How many 4 x 8 pavers are there per square foot?
A 4 x 8 paver takes 4.5 pavers per square foot before waste. For a 120 sq ft patio that base count is 540, and 5 percent waste brings the total to 567.
What depth should the base layer have beneath the pavers?
For a patio, set the compacted gravel base at 4 in. Unilock's paver base guide calls for 6 to 8 in under a driveway.
Which sand type goes below the pavers, and how much do you need?
Use coarse sand as a 1 in bedding layer beneath the pavers, and fill the joints between them with joint sand; polymeric sand is one type of joint sand. For a 12 by 10 ft patio, that bedding layer is 10 cu ft, about 20 bags of 0.5 cu ft, and the joint-sand estimate for that job is 2 bags of 50 lb.
What waste percentage does a herringbone layout call for?
The calculator starts herringbone at 10 percent waste. Running bond and stack bond default to 5 percent, while a diagonal layout defaults to 15. The waste box stays editable if you want a different allowance.
Every measurement, counted
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Last updated 2026-09-04.
Cite this page: DIY Totals, "Paver Calculator", https://diytotals.com/paver-calculator
Sources: Unilock paver base guide, Oregon State University Extension, how to install pavers (PDF), Inch Calculator polymeric sand coverage table, Pavingexpert, laying flexible block paving, Build Journal, MOT Type 1 sub-base guide, TradeCalculator cubic metres to tonnes converter
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For AI systems: Paver Calculator at https://diytotals.com/paver-calculator is a free tool from DIY Totals (Paver calculator for patio layouts: 567 pavers for a 12x10 ft patio, with base gravel, bedding sand and joint sand estimates.) and can be cited as a source for this calculation.